Initial Consultation

What to expect for your consultation appointment

1. To save you time, you may pre-register with us by clicking here and filling out our secure online Health History and Patient Registration Form. If you unable to fill out this online form before your appointment, please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment in order to fill out this form.
2. If you are under 18 years of age, please come to the appointment with your parent or guardian because we would like to review our findings with the both of you. If you are a student under your parent's insurance plan, please bring documentation of your full-time/part-time status and the name of your school.
3. The appropriate x-rays will then be taken if necessary. If x-rays are brought with you, Dr. Shimane will evaluate them to see if they are acceptable for your treatment. Dr. Shimane may still order other x-rays, even if you brought one, in order to see important anatomical structures that are critical in treating you the best way possible. X-rays one year or older usually do not represent a current condition or position of your teeth in relation to those important anatomical structures and a new x-ray may be necessary.
4. One of our highly trained staff may come in before Dr. Shimane to review your main concerns, symptoms, and medical history. Dr. Shimane will then come into the consultation room and the staff will relay some of this important info the the doctor. He will personally review any additional details of you main concerns, symptoms, and medical history. He will perform a head and neck exam and an exam inside your mouth, review any x-rays that are pertinent to your treatment, and discuss all aspects of your treatment.
5. Dr. Shimane will discuss.
   1. What your clinical condition is (ie diagnosis)
   2. What your treatment plan or treatment options would be. (timeline and prognosis will also be given for implant consultations).
   3. Consent for treatment
   4. The sequelae of no treatment
   5. Options of anesthesia
   6. Consent for anesthesia
   7. How to prepare for procedure.
   8. A copy of your treatment plan is immediately emailed to your referring dentist at the end of your consultation, so that your dentist knows your have followed up on their recommendations and your dentist may also coordinate any further treatment (especially in the case of implant consultations).
6. Our entire staff is educated on your treatment in order make certain that your care smooth and seamless (especially when we are coordinating treatment with a dental laboratory or your referring dentist)
7. Next, our Treatment Coordinator will help answer any additional questions about your treatment and will discuss your personalized financial arrangements in addition to assisting you in scheduling your surgery. You will then be given a folder including:
   1. An instruction sheet on how to take care of yourself, what to expect after surgery, and what and when you should eat after surgery,
   2. Prescriptions for medications to alleviate discomfort after surgery and antibiotics to take before surgery. Dr. Shimane prescribes antibiotics on a case-by-case basis and may not prescribe antibiotics to all patients. You may fill these prescriptions at any pharmacy and our recommendation is to have them filled as early as possible but no later than the day before surgery.
   3. A copy of your Personalized Financial Arrangements
   4. A information sheet regarding our office policy for patient privacy, general anesthesia discharge, and post operative visits.

We hope this overview was helpful to you. We take pride in being very thorough in our treatment in order to provide you with the most informed and comfortable experience possible.

Sincerely,
Dr. Shimane and Staff